Easy Ricotta & Parmesan Cheese Fritters Recipe - Low-Carb & Delicious (2024)

FAQs

Is ricotta cheese low in carbs? ›

“Ricotta is higher in carbs. While it can be a good option once in a while, you have to watch portions,” says Weiss. Per the USDA, a ½-cup serving of ricotta will contain 204 calories for a whopping 14 g of fat, 9 g of carbs, and 10 g of protein.

Fresh ricotta is fluffy, creamy, spreadable. It can be spooned into a dish and baked in the oven to become baked ricotta. The top browns and is slightly crusty and toasted and the middle is warm and creamy.

Use Greek yogurt in recipes where ricotta is imparting a creamy texture, like being stirred into a sauce. If you need 1 cup of ricotta and only have 1/2 cup, adding 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt to it would be perfect. But if you're truly out of ricotta, start with 3/4 cup Greek yogurt for every 1 cup ricotta needed.

Ricotta Substitutes

If you don't have ricotta on hand, here are six totally solid substitutes. Cottage cheese: As far as ricotta substitutes go, light and mild cottage cheese is your best bet. In fact, some people prefer to use cottage cheese because it has a similar flavor and fewer calories.

A half-cup serving of whole milk ricotta cheese contains 14.2 grams of fat, 8 grams of which is saturated. Saturated fats are known to contribute to the risk of heart disease. For a 2,000 calorie diet, it is recommended to keep saturated fat intake to 20 grams or less.

Some of the best cheeses to eat on the keto diet are cheddar, Gouda, blue cheese, and goat cheese due to their suitable high fat and low carb content.

For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny. One or more eggs are recommended whether you add the other ingredients mentioned here or not.

It'll just be a bit runnier, but omitting the egg won't affect the taste.

I suggest keeping it simple by adding fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, and tomato sauce. I like adding the sauce because it make the ricotta more flavorful and the liquid from the sauce makes it creamier.

Since it is super tart, sour cream should be used in moderation compared to ricotta. Like Greek yogurt, sour cream is best used in place of ricotta in recipes like dip — we wouldn't recommend layering it into your lasagna unless the recipe specifically calls for it, like in this taco lasagna recipe.

Can I use Philadelphia instead of ricotta? ›

Cream cheese: Cream cheese is made with milk and cream, while ricotta is made with just milk. The lower fat content makes the latter cheese slightly less creamy. However, cream cheese can still be substituted for ricotta.

Though cottage cheese has a lower fat content, ricotta cheese is higher in calcium and selenium, as well as vitamins A, E, D, and B2. Ricotta is also more suitable for a low-carb diet, as it has fewer carbohydrates than cottage cheese.

Mascarpone is a cream cheese with a 45+% of fat content. Ricotta is a dairy product made by precipitating albumine left in the whey, which is the cheese waste product, and it has a nearly 0% fat content. The two can't be used alternatively to each other. You can't substitute one to the other.

So far, these two high-protein snacks are neck in neck when considering protein, calcium and calories. But one clear distinction steers the choice: Cottage cheese can be loaded with sodium. Just 1 cup of cottage cheese can deliver 8 to 9 times the sodium found in Greek yogurt.

Ideally, store the cheese in the back of your freezer, where the temperature is the lowest. The door of your freezer is a bit warmer and can fluctuate in temperature whenever you open and close it. Stored properly, fresh ricotta will last in the freezer for one to three months.

Carbohydrate Content

Both options are relatively low in carbs, making them suitable for individuals following low-carb or keto diets. A 100-gram serving of ricotta typically contains around 3 grams of carbohydrates, while the same serving size of cottage cheese provides approximately 3.4 grams.

3. Supports Weight Loss. With 216 calories in a 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, this delicious dairy product makes a great addition to a healthy weight loss diet. In addition to being relatively low in calories, ricotta is also high in protein and boasts all nine of the essential amino acids that your body needs.

Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated.

Cheese. Low-fat types like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, or mozzarella are high-protein choices that help keep your blood sugar in check. Enjoy a quarter-cup of cottage cheese with a half-cup of fruit, a piece of low-fat string cheese, or ricotta spread on whole-grain crackers.